Carnitas

Apparently we’ve been holding out on you! One of the most searched-for terms on A Family Feast is “Carnitas” and we are finally sharing our recipe today!

Our carnitas are another recipe inspired by The Edgewater Café, a North of Boston Mexican restaurant that my husband Jack worked at years ago which was hugely popular among the locals! While carnitas were actually not offered on The Edgewater’s menu, the head chef liked to talk and share recipes, and Jack listened well (and wrote the recipe down)!

To make carnitas (which literally means “little meats”), cubed pork butt is cooked low-and-slow in lard and citrus – then browned under the broiler. The result is an extremely moist texture with an amazing, flavorful caramelized crust!

Serve carnitas simply in a warmed, soft flour tortilla with some cilantro and chopped onion – or you can really go wild and smother it with toppings just as you would for a taco! But we actually like the carnitas simply served – the meat is SO good!

One last note – don’t be scared by cooking with lard! The lard, which can be found in many supermarket meat departments, is simply the cooking medium that helps keep the pork tender, and all is discarded after cooking. The pork does not retain the fat from the lard – and in fact, it gives up some of its own – and all you are left with is amazingly tender, delicious carnitas!

Instructions

In a 9x11x2 casserole dish, or similar volume oven-proof vessel, place all ingredients. Cover with parchment and foil and bake for five hours.

Remove from oven and scoop out meat with a hand strainer or spider strainer. Dispose of remaining liquids and solids.

Place cooked pork on a foil-lined sheet pan brushed with the olive oil and place under broiler for five minutes. If the bottoms seem too wet, flip the pork and broil the other side for another minute or two. This step needs to be watched – you want the meat to caramelize without burning it or drying it out.

Serve simply in a warmed flour tortilla with chopped onion and cilantro.

Hi Alice – ZipList, our recipe plugin is having an issue with the print button not working in Internet Explorer. Please try using Firefox or Chrome to view our site and you should have no issues printing using another browser. So sorry for the inconvenience!

You did not just post a picture of fried pork—Ok, let me take a moment to wipe this side drool…
OMG, this looks authentically divine, I’m in the process of moving so I’m a little bummed that I can’t cook this now but I will be sure to test this recipe out next week.

Hi Michelle – Yes – The pork gets cut into cubes and is baked with the lard (which is soft like shortening so you would just measure that out and it will melt). If you are using suet (if lard isn’t available) that would be cut into cubes as well so it will melt quicker. Hope that helps clarify! Let us know if you have any other questions.

Hi Laurie – Yes – the slow cooker might take longer but it will still work. You do want to brown the meat at the end to get the caramelization – so if your broiler isn’t working as well, you can brown the meat on the stove top in a pan. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Yes – you can use just foil if necessary. The parchment prevents the foil from touching the food at it cooks (the acids from the peppers, etc could make the foil disintegrate) so just be sure that the foil is pulled taut across the pan.

I have made these twice now, and have bought multiple roasts of pork butt and put them in the freezer specifically for this recipe. I live in San Diego, home of some of the best Mexican food, and have NEVER had carnitas as spectacular as these. This recipe is now a staple in my home. I followed the recipe exactly as it is written. SOOOO easy, even more delicious. And the smell for the five hours it is cooking is divine. I never comment on recipes, but had to for this one. Thank you for sharing this recipe, my family will be forever grateful.

Wow Chelsie!! Thank you so much! You have made both of our days with your kind words – but especially my husband Jack who is so thrilled when our readers love our recipes! Thank you for taking the time to comment!! Martha

You’re so sweet to answer my plea! Love your website! I truly appreciate all your time, effort and sharing that you both put into it. I emptied my black ink cartridge the day I found your site.
Have a great weekend!!

Wow! My second batch is browning in the oven as we speak. I’ve never had true carnitas before but I can’t imagine them tasting any better than this! Absolutely tender yet caramelized goodness means this is an eternal “keeper”.
Thanks, again!!

My mother -in-law who was born and raised in Portugal made pork similar to carnitas called (don’t know correct spelling) but pronounced re joins wish I had gotten the recipe. I’ll have to try this and see if it tastes the same!

Hi Eleisha – For the carnitas, you really want to use a wide, flatter and more shallow pan so the meat will caramelize. I’d be worried that in a dutch oven for example, the meat toward the bottom of the pan would not cook in the same way. We’d recommend cooking as written in the recipe for the best results.

Hi Tricia – We haven’t tried olive oil – the lard adds a lot of great flavor to the dish (the meat doesn’t soak up the oil)! But if you do try it – I’d recommend a light olive oil (or even canola oil) rather than extra virgin – the EVOO has such a strong taste that will definitely impact the flavor of the finished dish. Hope that helps!

One HUGE complaint! There was not enough to make everyone happy! Will most definitely be making double the recipe next time around. Growing up in Southern California, we always had plenty of great Mexican restaurants nearby. Now we live up in the Pacific Northwest and it’s just not the same. I’ve made several recipes for carnitas in the past two years, and this is the very best of the bunch! Thank you so much for a truly great meal.

Hi Jen – Yes – you could. The equivalent beef cut would be a chuck roast. We’re thinking that the beef will take less time to cook than the pork so you might want to cut back on the cooking time. Hope that helps! Let us know how it comes out!

Does the jalapeño make the carnitas spicy? Also about the bacon fat! Can I buy bacon fat or do I just cook bacon and drain the fat? I feel like that is the silliest question ever but I really want to make this and make it to the “T”! It sounds super yummy!

Hi Stephanie – The jalepeno adds a little bit of heat but it doesn’t make it overly spicy. If you are worried about too much heat, I’d suggest leaving out the seeds but still including the rings from the peppers. And yes – we cook bacon and save the rendered fat for recipes like this! I don’t think I’ve ever seen bacon fat sold in the store – but it’s possible that some markets do! Hope that helps – and please let us know if you have any other questions!

Made this over the weekend. So easy! Love just quartering things and leaving them in big chunks. Cuts down on prep time. My family and friends were so impressed. They loved it! I will definitely be making this again. A little healthier way to serve the carnitas, is to use a Romane lettuce leaf as your tortilla. Still delicious and adds a little crunch. Thank you!

Thank you for the quick reply! I ran to the store on my lunch and threw everything into the crockpot since I’m not going to be home and I worry about having the oven on. I will report back on how it turns out in the crockpot! 🙂

Yumm! The pork turned out really well in the crockpot. I put them in with all the ingredients and cooked them on high for 4 hours and the last hour, I turned it down to low. It was awesome coming home to a house that smelled so good! I did put them under the broiler for about 5 minutes and I will say, they were definitely more tender when they were straight out of the crock pot. The broiler dried them out a tiny bit and I didn’t feel like they really glazed that much. So I would say, if you are going to do them in the crockpot, just enjoy it as is. I made some Spanish rice, got some fresh pico de gallo and turned them into pork street tacos so if you go that route, it won’t matter as much if they are caramelized. Next time I cook these when I’m able to stay at home, I am going to do it in the oven so I can get the caramelized effect (my FAVE). But if you want awesome pork tacos, the crock pot is great and you can feel ok about leaving the house without having the oven on for a long time. Thanks for the awesome recipe! I took a pic to show how they turned out but it isn’t letting me attach it. But the tacos looked great! 🙂

Love this recipe! Just a few questions? Do you cook in glass or metal pan for the 5 hrs & do I need to use pan spray! I don’t eat jalapeños so can I use the fresh green chilies instead? Can I cut meat into 1 inch pieces rather then 2 inch size & shorten cooking time? I like smaller pieces to eat just my preference. Sorry for all the questions. LOL Thanks for any answers!

Hi Corrine – Either glass or metal pan will work, no pan spray is needed (unless we state it in the recipe) and yes – you can substitute green chiles. I’d personally recommend cooking as written in the 2-inch cubes so the meat doesn’t dry out – you can always cut it smaller once it is cooked. Hope that helps! Enjoy the recipe!

Sorry, it’s me again! Thanks for replying above. went ahead and bought a glass baking dish and it’s in the oven right now for dinner. I didn’t have fresh jalapenos, so I sprinkled the meat with a bit of jalapeno powder. I cut the meat in 2 inches chunks like you said, which is kind of big, but I guess that’s ok for cooking. Not for eating though, so would you cut in smaller chunks before or after the broiler? I was actually wondering how big the chunks in the picture you posted with the recipe were. Hopefully you see this in the next 5 hours, lol ! 🙂

This looks delish! I want to do a test run on Thursday before I make it for my Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday. Ive never cooked with lard before. Is Crisco considered lard? Also, do I put the lard in the bottom of the pan first by scooping it out and then placing the rest of the ingredients on top? Probably a silly question, but lard being in solid form has me confused on how to incorporate it into the pan.

Hi Lynn – Lard is beef fat while Crisco is vegetable. So – in a pinch, you could definitely use Crisco, but if possible try to find lard (most supermarkets sell it in the beef aisle – or ask the butcher – they likely have it in back). Lard is less expensive but more importantly it adds some great flavor to the dish! And yes – the lard will melt once the pan is in the oven so just put all the ingredients in the pan and let it bake! Hope that helps clarify – please let us know if you have any other questions!

My husband thinks he is not a fan of pork. I am making this dish now and am thinking he will dive into it! I had to make a few substitutions but will let you know how I make out! I did not have fresh limes so I used some lime juice, I did not have lard so I used crisco, I did not have fresh jalapenos so I used jarred, and I had fresh ham steaks to use up so I cut them into 2×2 chunks. If this cut of meat doesn’t work, I will be trying again and following your recipe exactly! Your photos look amazingly delish!!! Thank you for sharing.

Hi Dolores – The lard is a solid – just place it in the pan along with the other ingredients (you can put it on the bottom if you’d like, them place the meat over it). The lard will melt in the oven once it is heated. Hope that helps!

Hi Susan – We haven’t done it ourselves but I think that might work. (Or – you can cook them in the slow cooker without browning and then brown them at the end in a broiler similar to the original recipe.) Please let us know how it comes out! Thanks! Martha

hi ! i just want to say that your carnitas look amazing and i will be trying this recipe soon ! i love cooking with lard (manteca) and i also love getting it from the mexican market in the back where they ladle it out of the deep fryer where they have cooked their carnitas and chicharones into a container for a very reasonable price . we call it ‘liquid gold’ . i also would like to commend you on your patience in responding to the comments 🙂

Sooty if this is a dumb question, but just how do you use the lard in this. Do you put in the bottom of the casserole, and place the meat with the other ingredients and coat it well?? then place it on the lard??? Or how exactly? thanks for any info. 🙂

Hi Marica – No such thing as a dumb question! 🙂 Just place the lard in the pan (bottom is fine) – the heat from the oven will melt it. The lard is essentially the cooking/poaching liquid. Hope that helps!

Hi, Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic recipe! Was a great dish to pop in the oven and was a nice treat to mix up our tortilla night! I felt I needed to spread the word on this great recipe so I shared it on my food blog with a link back to you http://www.thekingandpie.com/recipe/carnitas/

I have this recipe in the oven RIGHT NOW and I’m so excited! It sounds amazing. I was slightly confused on how to use the lard, as it’s a new ingredient for me. I put all the ingredients in the baking dish and then sort of placed clumps of the lard dispersed evenly over the rest of it, assuming it would melt down and everything would mix together nicely while baking.

On the page again as I’m planning on making these again and I just wanted to say YES I very much enjoyed them, they were amazing! Here’s the finished product:

So delicious. I was thinking about making a large batch and bringing them into my office to share with everybody (small company). Do you have any suggestions to keep the meat moist and tender? I’m pretty sure the only method we have to reheat is a microwave.

If the cooking time was short, I would say probably. But I would be worried about how well a thin aluminum pan would hold up for 5 hours. Do you have a Dutch oven or an oven proof pan of any sort like cast iron?

Hi Jan – For the best results, we recommend following the recipe as written. In a slow cooker, you won’t get the same great caramelization on the meat as you will by cooking it in the oven. Also, if you scroll through earlier comments, we did have a reader cook the pork in a slow cooker and then use the broiler to try to get the caramelization – she felt the meat dried out. You might find her comment helpful if you want to cook this in a slow cooker. Hope that helps!

Ohmygoodness. This recipe is staying with me forever. So delicious and authentic to how carnitas are classically made. I was glad to actually not depend on my slow cooker. I ended up using the bacon grease to lube the pan for broiling and that worked out great. Made a little homemade salsa to go with. Thanks so much for the simple goodness that is carnitas! Fantastic!

Hi Kelli – I have to admit that neither Jack nor I have used a countertop roaster – just the oven – for this recipe. I think it will work but the cooking time might vary. Also, you’ll still want to caramelize the meat at the end in the oven to get that crispy texture. Please let us know how it comes out!

For the best results, we recommend following the recipe as written. In a slow cooker, you won’t get the same great caramelization on the meat as you will by cooking it in the oven. Also, if you scroll through earlier comments, we did have a reader cook the pork in a slow cooker and then use the broiler to try to get the caramelization – she felt the meat dried out. You might find her comment helpful if you want to cook this in a slow cooker. Hope that helps!

Made these last night and they are delicious!!!! Very easy to make and the aroma in the house for the five hours is wonderful. I have this recipe saved to make at least every other week. My husband loves this recipe and the flavors are spectacular.

This sounds delicious. Hubby would not eat it if I made it. He is very traditional so that is how I make our carnitas. I cook it in the pressure cooker then I toss it in a dry frying pan to make it crispy or under the broiler. Both work fine.
We make our carnitas tacos with corn tortillas and top with pico de gallo, heavy on the cilantro.
Believe it or not, suet is impossible to find in our markets. I have to order it on line to use it in my steamed puddings. I guess you can use suet for this recipe, it is fat from the kidneys of cattle though whereas lard is from pork. All the markets seem to carry lard. We never use either when making our carnitas. Pork roast produces its own fat so we find it unnecessary.
Thanks for the recipe, I am still drooling. It looks so good. : )

Hi Roger – Current USDA guidelines suggest an internal temp of 145 F for pork tenderloin. In this recipe we took it out at 143 F, knowing that the tenderloin will continue to cook/internal temp will continue to rise as it rests before slicing.

This is by far the best recipe for carnitas I have ever tried (and I’ve tried a bunch). I am lucky to have a Mexican grocery store nearby so obtaining the lard was not a problem. I used my cast iron dutch oven for the cooking . Just the best!!!!

I make this every couple of weeks. SO good! After the initial bake, when I scoop the meat out I also get the onions and broil them along with the pork. When the lard/bacon fat cools a little, I strain it and freeze it to use the next time I make carnitas. One of my favorite meals!

I tried the recipe for dinner tonight. It turned out just as pictured. I did have one question. The meat is amazingly tender and caramelized great. But, any suggestions to add a little more flavor? I loved smelling it cook, but feel like the lard and bacon fat might have kept the full flavor from flavoring the meat. The finished, tender meat has only a hint of the amazing flavors. When I served it I added a little extra Kosher Salt and some lime juice and cilantro. That worked great to round out the flavors.

Hi Robin – We’ve actually done it both ways and broiling the day before or the day of works fine. I’d personally do the broiling the day before and then reheat the day of – either in a foil covered pan or even in the microwave. Hope that helps!

I made these for our Cinco de Mayo fund-raiser for church yesterday. They were a huge hit. I got a little skeered of all the lard, so I only used half a pound, but I also didn’t have quite that much meat. The broiling part was a little scary also, but it took the exact time as the recipe stated. So good. So, so good. I will not go back to the way I was doing them (dry rub). Thanks for posting this online. Really, really good. And raised $700 to send disadvantaged kids to a week of vacation bible school this summer. (we had many other things on the buffet of course, but the carnitas went FAST)

I made this in a crockpot today, 4.5 hours on high and then, turning a couple times, 10 minutes under the broiler. It was all very tender and delicious, but not caramelized as much as the photos. I made it for a buffet, so with my also needing to prep and cook other foods, the crockpot option was good. Thank you!

You’re very welcome Laura! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! If you’d like that caramelized look and taste – even after cooking it in the slow cooker – you can put the meat on a sheet pan and broil it for a few minutes.